Rising Son
by TheArchAngel'sDemoness
Summary: "Before I knew what I was doing, I had punched him so hard I busted my knuckles."


_[D: I got a new set of every colour of pen and was trying them out and listening to Five Finger Death Punch. I hope you enjoy this, if not, let me know. Constructive criticism is always welcome.]_

_Disclaimer: I have never, nor will I ever own Naruto. I do own a cute little plushie of him though._

_Rising Sun_

I was bad company as we travelled to Suna. I knew this. Yet, I could not change it. I had been summoned by a friend, but I could not help my foul mood. I knew everyone in my party was sick of my brooding silences. I was usually the loud one. I was usually the one everyone turned to for a laugh. But I hadn't been that person for a long time. Years had passed since I was.

I had so much rage stored in the back of my mind. I was frustrated and disappointed in myself. The closer we came to Suna, the more I hated myself for my failure. Technically, I would be the one bringing him back, but I hadn't defeated him. I hadn't persuaded him. Gaara had.

I pushed myself harder. The muscles in my legs protested along with my team, but I had waited too long for this. I sped through the trees, running on adrenaline and old rage.

Suddenly, the trees broke away and we were standing on the very edge of the desert. The line was so stark it looked as if a child had drawn the map here. One side green, the other utterly barren.

Temari caught up to me first. Huffing, she grumbled something but took the lead. I would have to take a backseat and let her take the front for my lack of direction in the desert. No sand storms stopped our progress this time. It was as if Nature herself knew not to get in my way. If I was being honest with myself, I would have probably tried to take Her on.

The sun was just setting over the desolate horizon as we made our way into the city through the Wall. The others decided to go get a hotel. Temari and I headed to the Tower.

Gaara had a nice office if one stopped to appreciate it, but I had never had the chance. He stood when we came in, coming around his desk. He dismissed his assistants and the other shinobi loitering around the room. His teal eyes were soft as he looked at me. "Naruto-kun, my friend," he said softly.

Before he could even move, I strode forward and pulled him against my body, wrapping him up in my arms. I heard Temari gasp behind me, but I knew he wouldn't hurt me. Voice cracking, I said two words I hadn't ever wanted to say. "Thank you."

Frozen, he didn't move for a long moment. Then, tentatively, he wrapped his arms around me. He had come so far from the poor, enraged boy I had met so many years ago. This was a true friend. He had stood up for me so many times. I respected him like no other. He had taken my nindo and made it his own, becoming Kage before me. "You're welcome, Naruto."

I stepped back, holding his shoulders in my hands. Looking into his eyes, I said, "You're a good friend, Gaara. I am proud of you."

His eyes widened in surprise. Then, a small smile crooked up the left side of his mouth. "And I, you." He set a hand on my shoulder, in return. "You should rest. We have plenty of rooms at my compound. You are welcome to stay there or you can return to stay with your men. You can see him in the morning after you've slept."

I nodded in agreement. "You're right. Now that we're here, I'm exhausted."

Temari spoke, "I'd say so. You ran us ragged trying to get here." Her face showed that she didn't hold it against me.

I rubbed my neck. "Sorry, Temari-san."

She waved a hand as if to dissipate my apology. "Just get some sleep and we'll call it even, yeah?"

I acquiesced. Turning to Gaara, I asked, "Where should I go?"

He looked out the window. "I'm done for the day, unless something comes up. I will show you the way."

I bowed to him, not something I offered many people. "I owe you much, Kazekage-sama."

He looked at me for a long moment. "No, Naruto, you owe me nothing. You made me realise that there is more to life than blood and death and loneliness." He took a breath. "You made me realise how important people can be. That's why I'm giving you Sasuke back. He doesn't deserve your love and dedication. But you give it anyway. I could not take that away. Not from you."

I turned to the window so he wouldn't see the tears in my eyes. His words were true. I knew that, but I couldn't help but want to bring him home. Fucking idiot that he was.

_[FAITH]_

His dark eyes flashed in the light of the rising sun. A slow sad smile spread across his pale mouth as he saw me. The bandage around his head didn't detract from him. It only added to the picture he made, giving him a little something extra. They had him in heavy chakra-sapping chains. His clothes were new, probably given to him by Gaara so I wouldn't be reminded of everything he had been through.

He spoke first. "Hey, dobe."

Before I knew what I was doing, I had punched him so hard, I busted a knuckle. His guards caught him as I shook my hand. "Yo, teme," I said as nonchalantly as I could.

He wiped the blood from his mouth, chains rattling. He looked at the crimson splotch, then at me. "I suppose I deserved that," he said, smirking, blood marring his lips, making the seen more macabre than it was only seconds before.

I nodded. "You could say that."

"Missed you," he said softly.

I looked away. "Yeah, me too." I looked to his guards. "I can take him from here." I handed the one not holding Sasuke's chains the scroll with my orders. He scanned it briefly and nodded. I took Sasuke by the shoulder and led him away from Suna. I only had two other people with me, two jonin I hadn't met before the mission. They looked sceptical that we could handle Sasuke on our own, but I knew he wouldn't run. Not this time.

_[HOPE]_

That night, we made camp in a small glen not far from the border. The jonin slept and we sat, awake, staring at each other over the fire.

"I'm glad it was you," he said, the crackling of the fire almost drowning him out.

"What?" I asked just as quietly.

He looked down. "I'm glad it was you who came to bring me back."

I stared at him over the flames. "Did you think I would _ever_ let someone else do it?" I poked a stick into the embers, sending sparks into the air. "Even after all this time, you underestimate me."

He nodded. "Maybe."

We sat for a long while, then I asked, "Why come back? Why now?"

He shifted, chains rattling. "Honestly?" I nodded. "During my battle with Gaara, he started talking about you and how important bonds and family are. He sounded just like you did five years ago." He paused. I found myself musing that I had missed his voice. "I missed how you used to yell at me. Gaara has changed so much. I know it's because of you. Besides, my self-imposed mission is over." He shrugged. "I don't have anything to fight for now. I have plenty to fight _against_, but it just isn't the same." His black eyes flipped up to me. "Why did you chase me so long? Why not give up? It would have been easier."

Now, I shifted, uncomfortable. I poked at the fire again. "I hate losing and breaking promises. I made a promise to Sakura-chan that I would bring you back. I told her it was the promise of a lifetime." I glared at him. "I don't break promises. Ever."

He looked down, almost seeming ashamed. Almost. He said nothing for a long time. Finally, "I'm sorry."

I just stared at him. "What?"

He looked at me, glaring almost. "I said, 'I'm sorry'." He grumbled something about 'dobe'.

The apology only made me angrier. "Why even apologize?" I demanded.

His brow crinkled in confusion. "I thought that's what you wanted from me."

I threw my stick into the fire, jerking to my feet. I pulled my headband off to run a hand through my hair as I paced. "No, Sasuke," I said, suddenly exhausted from years of heartache. "No, what I want you to do is go back five years and make the right decision. I want you to go back and trust Kakashi, train with me, love Sakura, or at least let her love you. You didn't just hurt me. You hurt all of us. The Third died to save you." Even though I meant my words to have heat, I couldn't force myself to yell at him. I was just too goddamn tired of fighting. "I put my dreams on hold for you. Sakura put her heart on ice for you. Kakashi put his _life_ on hold for you." I looked down at him. His head hung, bangs covered his face. "You shattered what could have been the next Sennin team. More than that, you burned the first bridge I ever built." I paced. "You broke the bond that made me think I might not be a monster. I was so_ angry_ with you." I stopped to look up at the stars.

"You _were_ angry? But not anymore?" He sounded surprised.

I shook my head and looked back toward the earth, weary. "I grew up, Sasuke. Something I've been waiting for you to do for a while now. You were the best in our class, but what are brains without the common-sense to back them up? Impotent and immature." The sneer on my lips felt foreign. "That's what you've been. A child with too much power and no one around to properly teach you how to harness it. If you had stayed, Kanoha could have given you that, all of it. I could have…" My throat closed and the words wouldn't come. _I could have helped you, been there for you._

Drained, I dropped down onto my bedroll. Exhausted lethargy pulled at my libs. The chase was over. My body knew when it was time to rest. I lay on my back. With effort, I rolled my head to look at him. He was staring at his hands, eyes black, hidden by the jumping shadows from the fire.

I picked up a small stone and threw it at the closest jonin, not hard enough to hurt. It papped on his arm and fell to the ground. He sat up, fully alert. He finally looked at me after his eyes made a full circuit around the camp. "I can't stay awake anymore," I said, my tongue feeling as if it were covered in cotton batting. He nodded and I rolled away from the fire. My blanket was warm and the crackling of the fire lulled me into a long awaited sleep.

Ironically, I dreamt of the past. I was thirteen, making the "promise of a lifetime" to Sakura.

When I awoke, I felt a great loss for the boy I had once been, so full of the belief that if you were friends, you never gave up. I still believed that, but, as I looked at the sleeping face of the reason for my promise, I noted that I no longer believed it so adamantly.

Yawning, I stretched, rubbing my shoulder when it popped. I looked to the sky, noting no clouds and the beginnings of down. _A good day for travel. We could be in Kanoha by tomorrow morning._

_[DREAM]_

The road back to Kanoha flew by and before I knew it, we were home. The great gate welcomed us with open doors. Kotetsu and Izumo held their post inside the gate. I grinned and waved at them, already feeling better that we were back in Kanoha. It was as if my strength came from the heart of this village. It always made me feel like everything would be alright.

I dismissed my men, letting them return to their homes, wives. They waved as we parted ways and I saw no more of them.

On our way to Tsunade-baachan, everyone in the streets moved to the side at the sight of a man in chains. Then the whispers started. A few of the older villagers recognized the Uchiha in my custody. The walk was short and the ANBU moved aside as we entered the Tower. Upward, we wound, slowly advancing.

Shizune looked up and smiled at me from her desk when she saw us. "Naruto-kun, welcome home. Tsunade-sama is alone for the moment. You can go in."

I nodded and proceeded through the door, Sasuke by my side. I no longer needed to touch him. Baa-chan was behind her desk and glared at the intrusion, but her expression softened when she saw it was me returned with my query. "Naruto, welcome back." She moved her amber eyes to my old rival. The glacial, withering look she gave him made me glad I wasn't the one she was angry with. "Uchiha Sasuke, stand forward." He took a step toward her but no further. She stood and came around her desk. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking him over. He looked at the floor. "What have you to say in your defence?"

He looked up, then, into her eyes and flinched at the look he found there. "Only that I wish I could go back and listen to Sakura when she begged me not to go, to listen to Kakashi when he said he could stop the curse, to listen to Naruto when he told me about bonds, and friends, and brothers." His face remained stoic and his voice even, but silent tears treaded their way down his face. I stared at him in astonishment. He had taken my words and made them his own. He continued, "I want to go back and stay with Team Seven and grow with… with my friends. I was to grow up with them, learn with them, _be_ with them." He took a long breath. "Hokage-sama, I have no words in my defence, only regrets. And worn out wishes."

Baa-chan turned to stand in front of the bay windows. The morning sun shone brightly over our village. She turned back to us. Her voice wasn't harsh when she said, "For now, you, Uchiha, are to be placed in Kanoha Prison until I and the Council make a decision. You have caused our village many grievances these last five years. You will pay for them." She turned to me. "Naruto, you will escort Uchiha to the facility. After, you have a week's leave to do whatever you wish."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," I said as I bowed to her. The open shock in her eyes saddened me. Had I really been that much of a brat to her over all those years? I turned and grabbed Sasuke by the arm, leading him out.

He said nothing on our way to the prison. I broke the silence right before we entered. "What you said to the Hokage, did you mean it?" I asked without turning to him.

I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye. "Yeah, I did."

"Good, because I have a feeling you're going to hate every word. Your only chance, though, is to live up to them."

He looked confused. "How?"

The grin that overtook my face was all Kyuubi. "Because if they find you guilty, which they will, I get to train you. I get to beat you into a weapon like a smith with iron."

He swallowed. "Oh… Really?" He almost sounded nervous.

The grin stayed. "Really. And your Heaven seal is being taken away permanently as soon as I hand you over to the guards here."

"What?!" he croaked, looking panicked.

I smirked. "Over the years, they've learned a lot from the bodies of your friends with the other three seals. The three who originally came for you?" He nodded. "We recovered their bodies and many experiments have been wrought over the years, plus, Tsunade is the best medic nin. Ever." I pushed open the doors. "You will have to rely on nothing but your own power and cunning when I get my hands on you, Uchiha."

As if on cue, the guards came to take him. "Wait!" he shouted as I turned to go. I raised a brow at him. He looked at me with eyes the colour of sable, his face had melted from the mask he had worn into a man torn "I meant my words, Naruto. I would expect nothing less than everything you have. Punish me. Hate me. Beat me. It is nothing less than I deserve. I just ask one thing."

Intrigued, I asked, "And that would be?"

He bowed his body forward. "Teach me," he said softly. If I hadn't had Kyuubi's hearing, I would have missed it.

Caught off guard, I said, "Oh, you will learn plenty." I turned and walked out.

_[IMAGINE]_

Noon had come and passed as I walked through the village. I waved to those I knew. I saw Shikamaru and Choji walking toward their favourite barbeque place. I assumed Ino was already there. I knew Sakura was at the hospital on duty. I had asked Shizune before we left the Tower. No one had seen Kakashi in days. Bushy Brows was off on a mission with his team. I wondered about Iruka and made a mental note to go find him after I got some lunch.

Ichiraku was empty as I sat at the counter. "Hey, Old Man," I greeted as I sat down.

He turned and smiled when he saw me. "Naruto! It's been a while. Do anything interesting?" He meant it as small talk. He asked everyone the same question. He had asked me countless times. Somehow, I didn't feel like answering him, but I did anyway.

"I brought Uchiha Sasuke back from Suna." Again, I was exhausted, just from being in his presence for three days.

"Sasuke…" he said thoughtfully. "Wait… Isn't that the little black haired kid you ran around with as a kid?"

I nodded. "That's all I can tell you, Old Man, until the Hokage makes an announcement." I fiddled with the First's necklace as I spoke.

He raised his hands. "I understand. Now, how about some ramen? I'm guessing you didn't come here for just my company."

I smiled. "You know me, Old Man. I've missed your ramen more than my own bed." He laughed in the booming way he had and started to prepare my food. I noticed someone was missing. "Hey, where's your daughter?"

"Hmm? Oh, she's at the hospital."

"Is she sick?" I asked, concerned. I had always liked her.

He shook his head and grinned. "She's getting a check-up on her baby."

I grinned back. "Congratulations! I'd forgotten she got married. How's she doing?"

He nodded as he cut a boiled egg in half. "She's doing fine. The morning sickness is pretty bad, but she'll survive."

I nodded and thanked him as he sat my bowl in front of me. It looked delicious as it always did. I broke my chopsticks, but before I could move to put some in my mouth, someone sat beside me. I looked over. Silver hair caught my attention first.

"Yo," he said, raising a hand.

"Sensai," I said and scooped some noodles into my mouth.

We sat in silence for a long time. I finished my ramen before he spoke again. "How did it go?"

I sighed. "He came peacefully. I almost wish he hadn't."

"Oh?" His voice was low and calm.

"Yeah. I mean, I've been waiting for years to fight and beat him. Gaara did it the first time he fought him. He said it's because Gaara started talking about the importance of bonds as they fought that he decided to come back. He said he knew I was the reason Gaara had changed so much."

Kakashi sat silent for a moment. "I talked to Tsunade-sama."

"About?" I grumbled. It was never good when Kakashi talked to Baa-chan. I was usually in trouble.

"Her retirement," he said quietly.

That gave me pause. I laid my money on the counter and stood. "Thanks, Old Man." He smiled and waved. Kakashi followed me out. We walked to the old training ground. I jumped and sat in a tree. He sat one limb over. He didn't say anything, so I began, "There's obviously a reason you came to tell me that." I looked out over the place where we passed into being as Team Seven.

He was staring at me so hard I could feel it. "Tsunade-sama has decided to step down in a month's time. She has chosen you as her successor." He said it all quietly, as if the peace of the balmy afternoon might be broken if he spoke too loudly.

I smiled at the irony of Baa-chan electing me. She had once told me that only fools wanted to be Hokage. Looking out over the place that we three had become one, I started laughing. The irony that we were all finally back under Kanoha's roof and were even more separated was almost crushing.

"Naruto?" Kakashi asked quietly.

A small smile still on my lips, I turned to him. Tears had somehow crashed their way over my eyelashes. "We have never been so far apart as now," I said to the face of a man who had watched and protected and encouraged me into being who I was as I sat in that tree. "Thanks for telling me, sensai. This coming month, I wish to enjoy a little time off to myself. I have leave for a week. After that, would you train me, one last time?"

He looked surprised. He pushed his headband up onto his forehead to look at me with both eyes. He looked troubled. Then, he nodded. "Naruto, you were the one student I thought would have to quit being a ninja. You were the one that no one believed in. When I looked at you, though, I saw my teacher, your father. I always hoped you would be like him. And you are, in your own way. You would give it all up for a village that treated you like a pariah." He smiled, the corners of his eyes turning up. "I'm glad to see him in you. You have taught me just as much as I have you over the years. You have never given up and never backed down. No matter the odds." He paused. "It would be an honour to train with you again, Hokage."

A warm sensation bled out from my bellybutton. And I knew Kyuubi was happy. I held out my hand to my teacher and friend. He took it and we shook as equals.

_[D: I felt that was a good place to leave it. I'll leave it up to imagination as to what happens with Sasuke. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me some feedback._

_And always remember: There is no such thing as failure, only feedback.]_


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